moffatt



(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l: 3 A. MOPFATT.

PENCIL STERILIZING GASB. No. 591,050.

Patented Oct 5,1897.

(N0 Mddel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. MOFPATT.

PENCIL STERILIZING CASE.

No. 591,050. Patented Oct. 5,1897.

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THE NORRIS PETERS 20.. PHOTO kIYNCL. wAsumc-mu. u. c.

ANSIL MOFFATT, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

PENCIL-STERILIZING CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 591,050, dated October 5, 1897.

Application filed December 26, 1896. Serial No. 617,010. (No model.)

- and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

It becomes more apparent every year that.

contagious diseases likediphtheriajare widely disseminated by the unsanitary practices of our common schools, where children arecongregated in large bodies, and many of the discases are transmitted by the careless interchange of penholders and pencils used in the school Work. Because of the unconscious practice of placing the pencil or penholder in the mouth it is impossible to keep such articles free from whatever germs of disease the user may be afflicted with, and the usual careless exchange from one child to another of those articles makes the spread of a contageous disease an unavoidable consequence.

The object of this invention is, first, to provide a depository to receive and hold all of the penholders and pencils when they are not in use; second, to provide a marked place for each penholder or pencil, whereby each child will be able to know and reclaim its own property; third, to provide means for destroying the germs by subjecting the pencils to a degree of heat sufficiently high to accomplish that purpose or to expose them in this condi tion to antiseptic vapors. Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate like parts, Figure 1 is a View in perspective of one of the trays removed from the case and filled with pencils. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a tray with all of the pencils removed except one; Fig. 3, an end view of the case in which the trays are deposited, showing same filled with trays and showing the case broken away in places. Fig. 4 is a detail in longitudinal ver 'tical section of the case filled with trays, and Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of a case made out of wire-cloth.

As the result of experience in the management of public schools it has been found that fifty-six children to a room is the number calculated to give the best results, and the best modern construction of school-buildings conforms to those figures. The scholars are seated in seven tiers of eight pupils to each tier, and in carrying out my invention I propose to provide a separate tray for each tier of pupils and to provide holders for. eight pencils or penholders in each of the trays.

A represents the trays, and B the case in which the trays are deposited.

The trays shown in Figs. 1 to 4:, inclusive, aremade out of sheet metal with parts bent up atright'angles to form the ends A and A 'The end A will have'its top edged bent in at right angles to form a support for the superimposed trayswhen they are placed in the case and also toiform ahold for the fingers in lifting the trays out of the case. The ends A will be bent up at rightangles to form the part (6 parallel with the bottom, and then down diagonally to form the oblique section a The lower edge of the section a rests on the bottom of the tray, and the section is provided with eight perforations or holes a to receive the pencils, the ends of which are thrust into said holes in the manner shown in Fig. 1. I

O is a spiral spring the ends of which are fastened -to the bottom of the tray. The springs form holders for the pencils, which are placed between the coils of the springs in the manner clearly shown. In order to present the pencils longitudinally of the tray, the spring will be placed diagonally, as shown in Fig. 2. i V

D are the pencils (or they might be penholders) and eachone is numbered from l to 8 consecutively. The holes in the diagonal section a are numbered from 1 to 8, whereby each student will have a certain place for hisjpencil and will be able to put it in its place without loss of time or danger of confusion. Byinserting the end of the pencil in the hole where it belongs it will,thus guided,enter its proper place in the spring-holder 0 when the free end of the pencil is pressed down. The perforated section a marks the place for each pencil, afiords a fulcrum for the ends of the pencils in pushing them into the springholder, and acts as a guide in directing them into place; but more important than all the perforations admit the ends of the pencils into a box-like inclosure, which will protect them from contact with the fingers of other than the rightful owners in placing the pencils in place in the case and in removing them. This is especially important because the sharpened end of the pencil is the portion which the scholar habitually places in his mouth and is for that reason most liable to be contaminated.

The sheet from which the tray is made will be bent up on one side to form the flange A, the main purpose of whichis to give stiffness to the tray. The opposite side of the tray is left open to afford access to the pencils,which are purposely packed close together, so their removal from the tray must begin with the outside one, (No. 1,) and proceed in regular order through the lot. This avoids confusion and makes more certain the delivery of each pencil to its rightful owner.

E are holes through the bottom of the trays. Each tray will preferably have two holes which, when the trays are in the case, will register with the corresponding holes in the trays above and below it. The case will have holes through its bottom in vertical alinement with the openings in the trays. These openings form hot-air lines and passage-ways for antiseptic vapors when any are used.

The heat for destroying the germs may be applied by setting the filled case on top of a stove such as is commonly used in a schoolroom or by supporting the case over a lighted lamp, and in order to keep the pencils from burningI provide an air-chamber F at the bottom of the case below the last tray. This is produced by placing an inverted tray G on the bottom of" the case This tray need only consist of a top plate with the ends bent down to form supports. The plate will be perforated like the other trays.

The case will be provided with a lid H, which retains the heat and insures its thoroughly efficient application to the work to be done.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5 the trayis made out of wire-cloth instead of sheet metal, and I have found by experience that sheet-wire causes less noise in handling the trays than when made out of metal sheets. The meshes of the wire-cloth allow free circulation of heat and antiseptic vapors.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and wish to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a pencil-holder, a single sheet of metal perforated as described and forming the bottom and having one end bent up approximately at right angles and then forward parallel with the bottom, and having the other end bent up, and finally, down in aninclined position with the bottom, said inclined-section having numbered openings to receive the ends of the pencils, and said sheet of metal forming the bottom of the holder, having one side edge only, bent up to form a stifieningflange and said bottom having holders to grasp the pencils.

2. The combination, with a case having a perforated bottom and a close-fitting lid, of a plurality of trays containing pencils or penholders, said trays being made out of a single sheet of wire-cloth or perforated metal and having its ends bent up at right angles and then inward approximately parallel with the bottom and having one of its ends bent downwardly and provided with numbered openings to receive the ends of the pencils and having one side edge only, bent up to form a stiffening-flange, said bottom having holders to grasp the pencils, and said case to receive the trays having an air space or chamber between the lower tray and the bottom of the case, all substantially as described and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANSIL MOFFATT. Witnesses:

J OSEPH A. MINTURN, F. W. WOERNER. 

